By Celebrating Green March in Dakar, King Mohammed VI Seeks to Speak to Africa

PERSISMA, Dakar – King Mohammed VI is scheduled to pay an official visit to Senegal starting on Sunday November 6. While in Senegal, King Mohammed VI will deliver a speech commemorating the 41th anniversary of the Green March. This will be the first time, a Moroccan monarch addresses Moroccans outside of Morocco.

Commenting on the Moroccan monarch’s decision to deliver the Green March speech from Dakar, Senegalese President, Macky Sall told Moroccan TV channel 2M on Friday night that this choice reflects King Mohammed VI’s desire to talk to the whole African continent.

The decision to address the Green March speech from the Senegalese capital shows the choice of King Mohammed VI to “speak to Africa and to Africans,” Senegalese President Macky Sall said.

“Having chosen a country other than Morocco, an African country, Senegal today, to address a traditional historical discourse is symbolic of the nature of the relationship” between Morocco and Senegal,” Sall said, underlining that this initiative reflects the “choice of His Majesty to speak to Africa and Africans.”

“His Majesty the King has a vision of Africa, and what should be the Africa of tomorrow. He also has ambitions for the continent,” said the Senegalese president.

Sall went on to add that that King Mohammed VI’s multiple visits to Senegal demonstrate the “exceptional relations between the two countries.”

Expressing the pleasure of Senegal to receive, Sunday, King Mohammed VI as part of His African tour, President Macky Sall stressed the symbolism of this date that coincides with the celebration of the Green March.

“The symbolism of the date is that His Majesty wanted, during his stay in Dakar, address His historic speech for a historical event, the Green March. And for the first time outside the Moroccan territory, He was keen to do it in Dakar,” he said.

“I would like on behalf of the Senegalese people express to Him our gratitude and all the esteem that the Senegalese people, myself and the Senegalese Government have for HM King Mohammed VI and the friendly people of Morocco”, the Senegalese president added.

King Mohammed VI’s visit to Senegal comes few days after he ended his first ever tour to east Africa, which led him to Rwanda and Tanzania.

The Moroccan monarch’s tours to sub-Saharan Africa signals Morocco’s determination to reunite with the whole African continent.